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Session Plan · U10 · Team (7 or more) · 60 min

Stop and Go: Change of Pace

Why it works

A defender matches the dribbler's speed, not their moves. When the dribbler slows down, the defender slows down and straightens up. When the dribbler goes again first, the defender has to restart from a standstill, and that first step gap is the advantage. Fancy moves don't create it; the change from slow to fast does. So the dribbler controls the timing: slow down to bring the defender up, keep the dribble alive, then go before they're ready.

The thread through every block

  1. Go fast
  2. stop or slow down, dribble alive
  3. defender slows too
  4. go first
  5. stay on the line past them.

Setup. 10 players, 1 coach, 2 hoops (full court), 10 balls, 8 cones. Five pairs.

Prints on A4 for the clipboard: diagram on the left, rules on the right, and no block split across a page.

Warm · 7B1 · 7B2 · 10B3 · 10B4 · 12Finisher · 9

Warm-upRed light, green light7 min

12345C"GO": fast · "STOP": stop, keep dribblinglose the dribble or move on stop → back 3 steps
Five across the baseline, the other five wait. Coach calls go and stop. Stop means stop the feet, not the ball.
  • Five dribblers across the baseline, five waiting. On "go", dribble as fast as you can toward the coach. On "stop", stop the feet but keep dribbling. First to half-way wins; waiting group goes next. Right hand, then left.
  • Moving on "stop" or losing the dribble sends you back three big steps.
  • Theme link: stopping without losing the dribble is the half of change of pace most kids can't do yet.

Block 1Stop and counter7 min

12123C1 go · 2 at the stop: between the legs, then go
Same calls, but at every stop the dribbler switches hands (between the legs) before going again.
  • Adds: a hand change at the stop, so the restart is with the other hand.
  • Same calls. On "stop", switch hands with a between-the-legs dribble, then wait for "go". Later: crossover or behind the back, player's choice.
  • Progress when: the switch happens without the feet moving and the ball stays below the waist.
  • Regress if: players lose the ball on the switch. Go back to stop-and-hold for one length.
  • Cues (questions): "Was your first step after 'go' a big one?" "Where were your eyes at the stop?"

Block 2Fast to slow on a signal10 min

123C1231 fast · 2 slow · 3 fastslow: short steps, higher bounce,still moving forwardcoach's hand up = slow · down = go
No talking now: players read the coach's hand. Slow means slow steps and a higher bounce while still moving forward, not a stop.
  • Adds: a visual cue instead of a called one, and slow instead of stop.
  • Coach at the far end. Hand up → slow dribble (shorter steps, higher bounce, still moving forward). Hand down → explode. Players have to keep their eyes up to see the signal.
  • Progress when: the speed change is obvious from the sideline, and everyone reacts to the hand within a step.
  • Regress if: players watch the ball and miss the signal. Coach adds a shout with the hand for one length.
  • Cues (questions): "How did you know when to slow down?" "What did the ball do when you slowed?"

Block 3Shadow race10 min

11211221 walk together · 2 dribbler goes firstthrough the gate first = 1 ptdefender: hands behind back
Side by side, the defender with hands behind their back mirrors the dribbler. The dribbler slows, then goes whenever they want. First through the gate wins.
  • Adds: a person to beat, who reacts to you.
  • Pairs side by side, a metre apart, the defender's hands behind their back. Walk-and-dribble together; the defender mirrors. The dribbler chooses when to go. First through the cone gate at half-way scores. Swap roles each rep.
  • Progress when: dribblers win more than half by going early, not by running faster.
  • Regress if: dribblers sprint from the start. Rule: three slow dribbles before you're allowed to go.
  • Cues (questions): "What was your partner doing just before you went?" "Did you go when they were slow or when they were fast?"

Water2 min

Block 41v1 from half-way12 min

121211221 slow → 2 godefender: soft live, no reaching
Two 1v1 games side by side from half-way. The defender plays soft-live. Slow down to bring them up, then go.
  • Adds: a soft-live defender who is trying to stay in front.
  • 1v1 from half-way, two games side by side (each pair uses half the width). Two rounds: first starting on the right, then on the left, so both hands get the go. The defender stays in front without reaching. The dribbler has to use at least one slow-then-go before the arc.
  • Progress when: the go creates a hip-to-hip position, not a collision.
  • Regress if: the defender wins every rep. Defender starts a step further back.
  • Cues (questions): "When did the defender stand up?" "Did you stay on your line after you went?"

FinisherStop and go counts double9 min

1112233stop, dribble alive, then go: make = 2any other make = 1a stop = 1 to the defence
3v3 live, the ball handler starts at half-way. A make after a full stop with a live dribble and then going again scores 2, any other make 1, a stop 1 to the defence.
  • Groups of five at each hoop: 3v3 live on the half court, with two players resting and keeping score. The ball handler starts at half-way, so there is room to change pace.
  • Scoring:
    • 2 pts: a make after the ball handler made a full stop with the dribble alive, then went again (the resting players call it).
    • 1 pt: any other make.
    • Defence, 1 pt: a stop.
  • First team to 7, then rotate the resting pair in.
  • Progress when: the ball handler slows down on purpose and goes while the defender is still standing up.
  • Regress if: nobody is stopping. The first possession for each team must include a stop before the ball crosses the three-point line.

Huddle3 min

  • One question to the group: "When did your defender stand up, and what did you do next?"

Coach notes

  • Decision errors vs execution errors:
    • Going while the defender is still moving fast is a decision error. Ask Block 3's question about when they went.
    • Losing the ball on the stop is execution. Back to Block 1, stop-and-hold.
  • Common failure: the "slow" is too small to see. If the coach can't see it from the sideline, the defender can't either. Make the slow obvious.
  • Common failure: eyes on the ball. Block 2's hand signal is the test; anyone who misses it is watching the ball.
  • U10 rule: in the 1v1 and the finisher, defenders who reach get one warning, then the dribbler scores. The point is a defender who stays in front, not one who swipes.

Sources

SourceUsed for
Nathan Cooper-Brown — 2019 Jamboree Parents ClinicWarm-up, Block 1, Block 4
Damian Cotter — Coaching Clinic at Basketball ACTBlock 2
Mike Kelly — Coaching ClinicBlock 3
Danny Cooper — Skills WorkoutBlock 4
junior.basketball (original)Block 3 race format, finisher

Related

More session plans, the Session Design guide this format follows, Game-Based Practice for why every plan ends live, and blank session plan templates to write your own.

Unofficial resource. Drills are adapted from recorded coaching clinics and credited to the coaches named in Sources above; anything marked junior.basketball (original) was written for this plan. Not affiliated with or endorsed by those coaches or the organisations that ran the clinics. Full credit to every presenter.